(Private. Chernyak. Do not publish.

I will think this through once or twice more.)

One cannot write about polytechnical education in this way: it comes out abstractly, for the distant future, without taking into account the urgent, present, sad reality.

One must

1) add 1 or 2 theses on the principled significance of polytechnical education

2) State clearly that in no way whatsoever can we renounce the principle and its immediate realization to the extent possible of precisely polytechnical education.

Down with the 17th thesis.

Concerning the second stage (12–17), state:

The extremely grave economic situation of the republic requires at present absolutely and immediately

the fusion[14] of the 2nd stage with vocational technical schools,

the transformation[15] of the 2nd stage into vocational technical schools, but at the same time, so that there is no transformation into mere craft work, one must establish the following precise rules:

1) avoid early specialization; work out an instruction on this.

2) expand general education subjects in all vocational technical schools.

Draw up a programme by year:

3) establish as an unconditional task the immediate transition to polytechnical education or, more precisely, the immediate realization of a series of steps accessible right now toward polytechnical education, such as:

This is — of supreme importance. We are poor. We need carpenters, metalworkers, immediately. Absolutely. Everyone must become carpenters, metalworkers, etc., but with such-and-such an addition of general education and polytechnical minimum.

The task of schools in the 2nd stage (more precisely: the upper classes of the 2nd stage) (12–17): to provide a fully knowledgeable [worker] in his trade, fully capable of becoming a master and practically prepared for this

carpenter,

joiner,

metalworker, etc.,

with the condition, however, that this "craftsman" possess broad general education (know the minimum foundations of such-and-such sciences; specify precisely which ones);

be a communist (specify precisely what he must know); have a polytechnical outlook and foundations (beginnings) of polytechnical education,

precisely!

(aa) basic concepts of electricity (define precisely which ones),

(bb) on the application of electricity to mechanical industry,

(cc) – " – likewise to chemical [industry],

(dd) likewise on the plan for electrification of the RSFSR,

(ee) have visited an electric power station, factory, state farm no fewer than 1–3 times,

(ff) knew such-and-such foundations of agronomy, etc.

Work out in detail the minimum of knowledge.

(Grinko, apparently, has talked himself into stupidity through his negation of polytechnical education (perhaps in part also O. Yu. Schmidt){102}. Correct this.)

Written at the end of 1920

First published in 1929 in the journal "On the Path to the New School" no. 2

Printed from the manuscript